Can I send my boss an emoji? We break down the new work rules (answer: yes, but NOT the aubergine)

Say goodbye to business cards, handshakes and phone calls, it's time to move your work environment into 2017

By Kate Wills

15th April 2017,10:18 pm

WHETHER you’re losing it on LinkedIn, scared of Skype interviews or torturing yourself over whether or not to tweet your boss, the new digital work environment can be daunting.

“The last 20 years have seen a dramatic shift in what people expect from employees and what we demand from our careers,” says Alex Cavoulacos, co-founder of career network Themuse.com and co-author of The New Rules of Work.

“Gone are the days of finding a job and staying in it until you retire. Social media means that each of us is now a brand and to thrive we have to promote ourselves as such. We have more modes of communication than ever, but no rules around how to behave on them.”

So whether you’re tech savvy or a digital dinosaur, here’s how to navigate the ever-evolving world of work.

Fashion passion

“Met someone who piques your curiosity? Follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn. Then send them an email within 48 hours of meeting, mentioning something you discussed, or sharing an article they might find interesting. Facebook and LinkedIn alert you when your contacts have a birthday or if they’ve been promoted, which are both great excuses to refresh a previous connection.”

And the business card is dead (sorry if you just got 2,000 printed).

“It’s much more immediate to connect with someone on Twitter or use an app like Zap, which allows you to swap digital cards,” says careers coach Alice Stapleton.

PRODUCTIVITY

“We’re now connected to the office all the time, which can make it feel like we’re supposed to be constantly working,” says Alice. “It’s also very easy to feel overwhelmed by distractions when you’re in the office.”

For at least a few hours each day, turn off email notifications and set your office chat app to Do Not Disturb.

Or try downloading an app like Strict Workflow, which blocks distracting sites based on the Pomodoro technique of 25 minutes work with a five-minute break.

A study by the University of Illnois found this was the optimum time to stay focused.

“But just because you can in theory wear yoga pants, that doesn’t mean you should! Dress in professional clothes to get yourself into the right frame of mind. Avoid busy patterns and bright colours that don’t play well on camera and keep jewellery minimal – it can be distracting.”

Check out the company’s social media profile to see what employees wear, and dress a bit smarter.

“Make sure your Skype username and photo are work-appropriate and that the background is uncluttered,” adds Dan.

Be aware of any technical issues that could arise throughout a Skype interview

“You need to make a connection, so look directly at the camera and shut down any other windows so you don’t get distracted by incoming emails. Test the sound by video-calling a friend – you may need to use headphones to avoid an echo. Download free software to record your call and play it back to see what your interviewer will be seeing. Don’t live alone? Give family or housemates a heads-up, as you don’t want to
be interrupted.”

After all, we’ve all seen the BBC interview with Professor Robert Kelly – and his kids!

If something goes wrong during the interview, say so.

“If you can’t hear or there’s a delay, let them know,” says Dan. “If you can’t sort it out, rearrange the call.”

It’s now more important to be communicating via texts, tweets and emails

“Cc the minimum number of people to get a job done and only use ‘reply all’ when it’s really necessary,” says Alex.

“If someone is no longer needed on the thread, move them to bcc and say: ‘Sam, thanks for the introduction – I’ve moved you to bcc and will take it from here.’ Then the respondent won’t be able to reply to Sam and he’ll be off the thread. Also don’t send a reply for the sake of it. No one needs a 20th ‘Looks great to me too’ email.”

And finally, to emoji or not?

“Generally, don’t use them with a senior colleague or a client unless they do it first,” says Dan.

“Avoid the winking face, which might be perceived as flirty, and only use others when the meaning can’t be misconstrued.”

Aubergine, we’re looking at you.

Does the guy or girl you like fancy you? It's all in the EMOJIS!

How to do LinkedIn like a boss

If you’re just cutting and pasting your CV on to your LinkedIn page then you’re really missing a trick, says Viveka von Rosen, author of LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour A Day.

Maximise the 120 characters of your headline and think beyond just your job title. If it says: “PR manager of ABC Corp,” they don’t know what you offer, so change it to “PR and content creator for ABC Corp – knows how to make a business story go viral.”

Use relevant keywords related to the type of positions you’re looking for. An easy way is to find 10 positions you are qualified for, and create a word cloud for each one using Wordle.net or Tagcrowd.com. The largest words are the important keywords, so make sure those are sprinkled throughout your profile. Recruiters will search for LinkedIn profiles using these keywords.

Search LinkedIn for a group relevant to your profession or interests then join a discussion. Start a thread or write a guest post for a high-traffic blog. Just make sure your comments are pertinent and add value.

Make at least 300 connections to get a big enough network to be useful to you professionally, and to be visible on the site. But stay under 3,000 to avoid LinkedIn crashing.

Do you think you've got what it takes to ace a job interview? Test yourself with the hardest interview questions for 2017.